SABIIA - Sistema Aberto e Integrado de Informação em Agricultura (Sabiia)

Mondello, Gerard.

This paper addresses the conditions for setting up strict civil liability schemes. For that it compares the social efficiency of two main civil liability regimes usually enforced to protect the environment: the strict liability regime and the “capped strict liability scheme”. First, it shows that the regulator faces an effective dilemma when he has to enforce one of these schemes. This because the social cost of a severe harm (and the associated optimum care effort) is determined independently of any liability regime. This independency has economic consequences. First, victims and polluters pit one against another about the liability regime that the government should enforce. Hence, financially constrained polluters prefer the ceiling of responsibilities...

The Niger Food Crisis: Causes and Implications for Research and Development from an Integrated Agricultural Economics Perspective

Palavras-chave: Environment; Strict Liability; Ex-Ante Regulation; Ex-Post Liability; Judgment-Proof; Environment Law; CERCLA; Environmental Liability; Environmental Economics and Policy; K0; K32; Q01; Q58.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/101299

Abele, Steffen; Twine, Edgar.

During the 2004 food crisis in Niger, the weakness of the main production system, millet, to produce enough food to sustain short term crises, has been revealed. Questions arise how the Nigerian smallholder systems can be assisted by research and development policies to intensify production and improve food security. The paper assesses technical options according to their economic sustainability. A sequence of models is applied: On plot level, production functions of inter cropping systems were estimated to determine yields and their variability of the major crops. These data were fed in a nonlinear program to test the inn ovations, first at stable prices, then at declining prices that were obtained from an interregional trade model. The latter was shocked...

Sustainable Development and Intergenerational Equity: Issues Relevant to India and Globally

Palavras-chave: Food security; Niger; Small scale farming; Risk management; Food Security and Poverty; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; O13; Q01; Q12; Q16.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25557

Tisdell, Clement A..

As outlined, recurring concerns have surfaced since the 1700s that economic growth may prove to be unsustainable. These concerns have been expressed again and have intensified in recent decades but their foundation differs from that of Malthus. The rapid economic growth of China and India have added to these worries. Recent discussions by economists of the desirability of achieving sustainable economic development have mainly focused on measures to attain intergenerational equity in resource use and the dominant view is that each succeeding generation should be at least as well-off as its predecessor. While this is said to be an implication of Rawls’ principle of justice, this dominant rule does not fully reflect Rawls’ principle and it also can violate...

The Equivalence of Strict Liability and Negligence Rule: A « Trompe l'œil » Perspective

Palavras-chave: China; Economic growth; India; Intergenerational equity; Rawls’ principle of justice; Sustainable economic development; Consumer/Household Economics; Environmental Economics and Policy; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; O13; O44; Q01.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/97470

Promoting sustainable food consumption: the case of nutrition education programs in public schools

Gerard, Mondello.

This paper analyzes the difficulties of comparing the respective effectiveness of two among the most important liability regimes in tort law: rule of negligence and strict liability. Starting from the standard Shavellian unilateral accident scheme, I show that matching up liability regime on their capacity to provide the highest level of safety is ineffective. This demonstration lies on two components. The first one gathers some results drawn from literature that introduces uncertainty. The second one takes into consideration the beliefs of agents and their aversion to ambiguity. The model applies uncertainty to the level of maximum damage. This demonstration reinforces the previous result. Hence, both regimes apply on specific tort question and comparing...

Tipo: Working Paper

Palavras-chave: Strict Liability; Negligence Rule; Ambiguity Theory; Uncertainty; Accident Model; Risk and Uncertainty; K0; K32; Q01; Q58.

Ano: 2012

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/121910

Gorgitano, Maria Teresa; Sodano, Valeria.

Within the realm of public policies for a sustainable food system, the focus has gradually shifted from production oriented towards consumption oriented interventions. Whilst changing consumer behavior can have a long-lasting positive environmental impact, choosing effective sustainable consumption policy instruments may be a challenging task. In the case of food consumption, the choice of interventions is particularly difficult because of the multiple aspects- psychological, cultural, economic, religious- associated with eating habits. The paper deals with one of the most commonly used forms of intervention, nutrition education programs in public schools. The main conclusion of the paper is that a major effort should be made by the Ministry of Education,...

Tipo: Presentation

Palavras-chave: Sustainable consumption; Nutrition education; Welfare economics; Food governance; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; I0; Q01; D10.

Ano: 2012

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/124379

Rational Expectation and Education Rewarding: The Case of Chinese Off-Farm Wage Employment

Hou, Linke; Wang, Xiaobing; Yu, Xiaohua.

This study establishes a life-cycle model that a representative agent chooses optimal time of education to maximize his/her life earning, which implies that there may exist nonlinear relation between education and earning. Using the data of Chinese off-farm wage employment, we find that the duration of schooling years will increase by 1.7 years with 1 percent increase in rate of return to education. The empirical results also indicate that controversies about return to education might arise from model misspecification without consideration of nonlinearity and sample selection.

Eco-eficiência na Produção de Cera de Carnaúba no Município de Campo Maior, Piauí, 2004

Palavras-chave: Return to schooling; Life-cycle model; Rational expectation; China; Labor and Human Capital; I20; J43; Q01.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/114530

Carvalho, Francisco Prancacio Araujo de; Gomes, Jaira Maria Alcobaca.

The Copernicia prunifera (Miller) H.E. Moore or “carnauba” generates a material from the leaves used in the wax production, raw material of countless industrial products. Brazil is the only producer of carnauba wax and the state of Piauí, an important influential. In this, the natural conditions of the district of Campo Maior favor the incidence of the carnauba and its historical tradition in the wax production, turned it a regional pole. The general goal is to analyze, in the carnauba wax production, the elements and the eco-efficiency indicators - economical efficiency associated with low environmental impact. The specific goals are: to evaluate, qualitatively, the materials and energy consumption, toxic substances emissions, existence of recycling of...

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Carnauba wax. Eco-efficiency. Brazil Northeast. State of Piauí.; Agribusiness; O18; Q01; Q2; M14.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/61245

Quantifizierung „gesellschaftlich gewünschter, nicht marktgängiger Leistungen“ der Landwirtschaft

Plankl, Reiner; Weingarten, Peter; Nieberg, Hiltrud; Zimmer, Yelto; Isermeyer, Folkhard; Krug, Janina; Haxsen, Gerhard.

Zusammenfassung: In den Diskussionen über die Gemeinsame Agrarpolitik nach 2013 nimmt die Honorierung nicht marktgängiger gesellschaftlicher Leistungen der Landwirtschaft eine zentrale Rolle ein. Unterschiedliche Ansichten bestehen darüber, was unter diesen Leistungen genau zu verstehen ist und wie sie quantifiziert und monetarisiert werden können. Die hierzu durchgeführte Auswertung von rund 80 Studien zeigt einerseits, dass in der Bevölkerung eine generelle Zahlungsbereitschaft für solche Leistungen besteht, und andererseits, dass die ausgewerteten Fallstudien nicht auf Deutschland hochgerechnet werden können. Die Leistung „Offenhaltung der Landschaft“ verursacht - wenn sie nicht als Koppelprodukt unentgeltlich anfällt - Kosten, deren Höhe in starkem...

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Gesellschaftliche Leistungen der Landwirtschaft; Koppelprodukte; Zahlungsbereitschaft; Offenhaltung der Landschaft; Kosten für Umweltregulierung; Public goods provided by agriculture; By-product; Willingness to pay; Open landscape; Environmental regulation cost; Environmental Economics and Policy; Public Economics; Q01; Q51; Q56; Q57.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/103256

Main problems of agriculture and rural areas in Poland in the period of transformation and integration with European Union

Zegar, Jozef St.; Florianczyk, Zbigniew.

Problems currently observed in Polish agriculture have different origins. Some of them have an historical background, while others are related to systemic transformation and forthcoming accession to the European Union. Most of the problems are common for all the candidate countries and most of them are also observed in the developed economies. Identification of these problems is the main purpose of this article. Special attention is paid to natural, human and capital resources available in rural areas. Possible development paths are pointed out. The article also covers most of the opportunities that may help overcome rural development problems in Poland in the wake of forthcoming accession, and their limitations.

Tipo: Article

Palavras-chave: Rural development; Agricultural incomes; Human capital; Sustainable development; EU enlargement; Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Security and Poverty; 01; Q01; Q18.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/122354

Risky Activities and Strict Liability Rules: Delegating Safety

Mondello, Gerard.

This paper studies the delegation of activities that pose serious risks to health and the environment in an economy regulated by strict liability schemes. Strict liability induces judgment-proof possibilities. Two civil liability regimes are then compared: a strict liability scheme and a capped strict liability one. The argument is led under a twofold asymmetric information assumption between the principal and the agent: the efficiency level in effort for safety and the agent’s level of wealth. The paper shows that standard strict liability under information asymmetries deters the efficient agent to compete and favors adverse selection. Then, under conditions, a capped strict liability regime is a better regime than a standard strict liability one because...

Modelling the CAP Reform at the Regional Level with ProLand

Palavras-chave: Environment; Strict Liability; Ex-Ante Regulation; Ex-Post Liability; Judgment-Proof; Environment Law; CERCLA; Environmental Liability; Health Economics and Policy; K0; K32; Q01; Q58.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94736

Weinmann, Bernd; Sheridan, Patrick; Schroers, Jan Ole; Kuhlmann, Friedrich.

The reform of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will fundamentally affect the decision behaviour of land users. So far transfer payments were coupled to specific forms of land use. The reform encourages land users to make decisions concerning production based solely on market aspects. The effects of the CAP reform on the Lahn Dill region in Germany are simulated with the spatially explicit land use model ProLand. The results show that land use decisions will be based stronger on site specific natural conditions than was the case in the Agenda 2000 scenario. The transfer payment volume directed into the region increases considerably.

CAP versus Rural Policy Challenges, Paradigm change

Palavras-chave: Modelling; Decision support; Land use; Spatially explicit; Agricultural and Food Policy; Q01.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/24508

Halmai, Peter; Vasary, Viktoria.

Rural development in the European Union has to face several challenges. Negative effects of old and new challenges (if these challenges are not faced effectively) might enhance and accelerate those processes that are taking place slowly for the present but that are definitely irreversible. On the basis of sector-specific approach problems related to agriculture should be focused on. It has to be, however, highlighted that there is an ongoing paradigm change: there is a shift from the agricultural policy aiming at food self sufficiency and income parity towards a sustainable rural policy with spatial focus. The shift itself is considered a continuous challenge, too. The following questions as objectives of the paper arise: - Are there policy instruments...

The question of “evidence” in the emergence of evidence-based or evidence-aware policies in agriculture

Palavras-chave: Common agricultural policy; New rural paradigm; European added value; Agricultural and Food Policy; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Q01; Q18; Q28; Q57.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/115547

Laurent, Catherine E.; Trouve, Aurelie.

Evidence-based or evidence-aware policy approaches are used in many different sectors (health, education, etc.). These approaches are less common in agriculture but are gradually emerging. Analysis of debates surrounding this trend sheds light on the particular nature of the difficulties faced by public decision-makers who are willing to use available scientific knowledge. After examining certain misunderstandings which arise in the international debate over evidence-based policy approaches, this paper addresses two specific issues: (i) the problems of competing evidence for using knowledge in the design of public policies and (ii) the potential role of rationalization tools in a possible "depoliticisation" of public decision-making.

Investments and Financial Flows Induced by Climate Mitigation Policies

Palavras-chave: Knowledge; Agriculture; Policy; Evidence; Agricultural and Food Policy; B29; D8; Q01; O3.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/99833

Bastianin, Andrea; Favero, Alice; Massetti, Emanuele.

In this paper we use the hybrid integrated model WITCH to quantify and analyze the investments and financial flows stimulated by a climate policy to stabilize Greenhouse Gases concentrations at 550ppm CO2-eq at the end of the century. We focus on investments to decarbonize the power sector and on investments in knowledge creation. We examine the financial flows associated with the carbon market and the implications for the international trade of oil. Criticalities in investment requirements will emerge when coal power plants with carbon capture and sequestration and nuclear power plants are deployed around 2020-2040, both in high and low income regions. Investments in energy related R&D increase sharply and might cause stress in the short term....

Sustainability and Optimality in Economic Development: Theoretical Insights and Policy Prospects

Palavras-chave: Climate Change; Mitigation; Carbon Finance; Emission Trading; Energy Investments; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q01; Q43; Q54; O32; O11.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/59418

Farzin, Y. Hossein.

This paper takes sustainability to be a matter of intergenerational welfare equality and examines whether an optimal development path can also be sustainable. It argues that the general zero-net-aggregate-investment condition for an optimal development path to be sustainable in the sense of the maximin criterion of intergenerational justice is too demanding to be practical, especially in the context of developing countries. The maximin criterion of sustainability may be more appealing to the rich advanced industrial countries, but is too costly and ethically unreasonable for developing nations as it would act as an intergenerational poverty equalizer. The paper suggests that a compromise development policy that follows the optimal growth approach but...

Consumer Perceptions of Sustainable Farming Practices: A Best-Worst Scenario

Palavras-chave: Sustainability; Intergenerational equity; Optimality; Discounting; Development policy; International Development; Q01; Q56; O21; O13; D62; D63.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7447

Effectiveness of Integrated Pest Management Dissemination Techniques: A Case Study of Potato Farmers in Carchi, Ecuador

Sackett, Hillary M..

The ability of a firm to differentiate their product hinges critically on an accurate understanding of the perceptions consumers hold regarding the implications of a credence labeling claim. Building upon existing work evaluating other food attribute labels (e.g., genetically-modified products, region of origin, use of growth hormones) and the impact of consumer inferences (e.g., implicit associations made from explicitly provided information), this work begins to address gaps in the literature regarding food products with sustainably produced claims. This paper uses data collected in the summer and fall of 2010 from a national, web-based survey of 1002 households, to initiate the process of examining consumer inferences and valuations of food products...

Tipo: Thesis or Dissertation

Palavras-chave: Sustainably Produced Food; Best-Worst; Consumer Perceptions; Agricultural and Food Policy; Consumer/Household Economics; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; Q01; Q13; Q11.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/115966

Mauceri, Maria; Alwang, Jeffrey Roger; Norton, George W.; Barrera, Victor.

Potato farmers in Ecuador rely on chemical inputs to manage pests and optimize yields. Integrated pest management techniques lower production costs, reduce pesticide exposure, and improve long-term agricultural sustainability. Public extension does not, however, exist in Ecuador and cost-effective means of communicating complex messages to producers are needed. We analyze cost-effectiveness of alternative dissemination methods, including farmer field schools (FFS), field days, pamphlets, and word-of-mouth transmission. Field days and pamphlets have strong impacts on adoption, especially considering their low costs. FFS are effective, but expensive. Evidence also indicates significant diffusion from FFS to non-FFS farmers, indicating high...

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Ecuador; Farmer field schools; Integrated pest management; Technology adoption; Technology dissemination; Q01; Q16.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/37091

Cellulosic Biofuels: Are They Economically Viable and Environmentally Sustainable?

Assessing the Technical and Allocative Efficiency of U.S. Organic Producers

Khanna, Madhu.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Miscanthus; Corn Stover; Switchgrass; Cost of Production; Greenhouse Gas Intensity; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; Q01; Q54; Q55.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94665

Park, Timothy A.; Lohr, Luanne.

We develop measures of technical and allocative efficiency of producers in marketing certified organic products. A stochastic output distance frontier and the associated revenue share equations are estimated using comprehensive U.S. data on certified organic producers. Farm-level measures of technical efficiency are calculated and factors that enhance performance are identified. Factors that systematically influence allocative efficiency are assessed. The revenue mix of organic producers is systematically inefficient as both male and female producers rely too heavily on revenue from organic markets relative to conventional outlets.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Organic farming; Stochastic frontier; Technical and allocative efficiency; Agribusiness; Farm Management; Marketing; Production Economics; Productivity Analysis; Public Economics; D21; C31; Q01.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/90678

Multifunctional land use: is it a key factor for rural development?

Kopeva, Diana Ilieva; Peneva, Mariya Marinova; Madjarova, Svetla Ivanova.

The sustainable development of rural areas faces nowadays the challenges of global changes. The need to adapt land and landscape use to the new social, economic and ecological demands (non-farm activities, employment in rural areas, forest and agro- related tourism, real estate pressure, etc.) requires an analysis of the land multifunctionality and of the multipurpose land management strategies. The paper aims to review the concept of land use and landscape multifunctionality and to review the role of multifunctional land use in Rural Development Policy in Bulgaria.